Call back from the nurse

The RN asked me if the RE had planned on any more bloodwork since my recent panel came back normal except for ferritin being dead low.

She said there is a lot that can cause nightsweats but w/o having blood work to show what's going on it's hard to know what the deal is. I noticed as well in doing some searches and looking at my reproductive endocrinology textbook last night that estradiol levels in the late luteal phase is not really something that is covered a lot; it isn't interesting or something.

She mentioned that Clomid might be an option, that the goal was to get me to have a healthy egg and a healthy pregnancy. I totally agree. I told her that the only reason I'm being such a spaz about trying to figure out if there's something we've missed is that I really really really don't want to have another m/c; if I can do anything at all to help prevent it then I will.

I've only been able to try 4 cycles since my fibroid surgery, one of those cycle I got pg and the last one was my first try after my m/c so my stats aren't really that bad again...yet...

Honestly I'm on a much better course of health than I was when I started TTC. I don't have a large fibroid any more, I'm working on building my iron stores, I'm much more relaxed, I eat better and more regularly, I'm not spotting when I ovulate, I don't have BV. That's how I was when I started out. What a winnner eh?

I've had the night sweats for years, I remember them as early as when I first moved to Seattle when I was 23 so it's not a peri-menopausal thing for me.

I'm waiting for the NP to call me back now as my RE is in surgery today. I'll let you know if I find anything out. I'll also bring it up with my acu next Tuesday and find out what her perspective is.

Stupid Hot Flash or Something

I had a night sweat two nights ago and a hot flash yesterday evening that lasted quite a while. I did a FM test which showed really strong estrogen, stronger than the previous 5 days (mid-LP) which I was testing for just to see if there was any LH or reason to use a HPT (we can all have dreams right).

I read on a menopause site that some women have hot flashes even with elevated estrogen levels. I guess that would be me. But why is my estrogen peaking this late in my cycle (cd10?)(maybe its normal -- see hormonal chart on this page -- but why does it give me hot flashes and night sweats?)

I feel like I'm such a hormonal mess and I don't know if its genetic, environmental or what but for all the acu and herbs I've done (not too many herbs) why is my body still such a freak. I feel broken.

And since my mother's hormonal pattern was really similar to mine and she's recently been dx with breast cancer its even more concerning ya know?

I just came across this page about CFS and some of my symptoms/pattern are there, particularly the kidney yang/spleen qi and kidney qi deficiency. I want to be balanced, not deficient.

Cortisol and Night Sweats

I'm onto something, a few things really but the one that has my attention right now is cortisol. I had really bad night sweats at the beginning of my pregnancy. Evidently panic attacks are associated with night sweats and I know from my partner who has panic anxiety that adrenal exhaustion triggers cortisol production. I came across a reference last week that mentioned that kidney yang deficiency was akin to adrenal exhaustion and I've been diagnosed with kidney yang deficiency -- boy doesn't it all come full circle with the night sweats.

ADRENAL FATIGUE

I found a couple of links about cortisol and pregnancy loss which I posted to the progesterone and miscarriage post, look towards the bottom of the links.

I've also been looking up about heparin and blood thinners to help stop immunological rejection of pregnancy. I posted a few weeks ago about some similar cases treated with chinese herbs that contained dongquai which is a blood thinner so I wonder if trying the blood thinner route might be worth it -- and then it is a matter of eastern or western medicine.